


Welcome to Our Carnival!

by bisexualkiseryouta



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe- Crack, Carnival AU, F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-09 05:48:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1971261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualkiseryouta/pseuds/bisexualkiseryouta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome one, welcome all, to the Miragen Carnival!</p><p>We encourage you to enjoy anything and everything our carnival has to offer~ we have tons of fun games for you to play, amazing sideshows for you to watch, and the yummiest treats you'll ever eat! You can even take a ride on the ferris wheel and survey the entire carnival- like a king or something!</p><p>We truly hope you enjoy your time at our carnival (the eye candy isn't bad either-ow! Sorry, Kurokocchi, off topic, I know!)~</p><p>~I wanted a Carnival AU, don't judge me~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kuroko no Raion Tsukaikonasu (or The Lion Taming of Kuroko)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally looking up for Kuroko Hana and her son, Tetsuya; she has a good job, a real place to stay, and enough money for food.
> 
> Enter Ogiwara Takumi, owner and ringmaster of a small, not-very-well-known circus, and his son, Shigehiro. After a brief, random meeting, Takumi invites Hana and Tetsuya to come for a night of wonder at their circus because Shigehiro seems to have really taken to her quiet, blue-haired son.
> 
> Hana never could have imagined what happens next, not in her wildest dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, soooo, I'm sorry if anyone is a little OOC in this chapter because they're all little and I figured they might be kind of different as kids so, don't hate me, please~
> 
> I don't know what else to say since I stayed up all night on this, but, please, enjoy~

Kuroko Hana is gliding down the street on her new bicycle when it starts  _pouring_ ; it's that annoying type of rain where it actually  _hurts_ when the raindrops hit you and you can barely see a couple inches in front of your face. It'd been drizzling for a while before then, but Hana wouldn't have gone grocery shopping if she knew it was going to get this bad. The last thing she and Tetsuya need right now is to get a cold.

Things were finally looking up for the two of them! Hana landed a job as a delivery girl for a fast food restaurant, which paid enough for a crappy little apartment and allowed her to keep Tetsuya with her at all times, and this really sweet old lady let her have a bike she was going to throw out because she couldn't ride it anymore. Compared to the past two years, things are going absolutely fantastic!  _We will not get sick, we will not get sick, we will not get sick!_ Hana chants inside her head as she suddenly stops her bike just outside of a tiny family restaurant.  _Perfect!_ "I bet you're really hungry, aren't you, Tetsuya? We should get dinner, don't you think?" she says, turning around to see him blinking up at her, the hood of his tiny rain coat pulled up to hide his messy hair- the kid's allergic to hair brushes or something. He always throws a tantrum when she tries to use a brush or a comb to fix his hair instead of her fingers.

Hana marches into the restaurant, tugging Tetsuya behind her, and keeps her head held high even though she probably looks absolutely terrible.  _Not much of a change from usual then, I guess._ The hostess leads them to a booth in the corner, kindly ignoring the puddles Hana leaves behind as she walks. "A server will be right with you," she smiles and bows before walking away. Hana turns to her son, who decided to sit across from her instead of beside her for once, and picks up the kids' menu. "Ne, Tetsuya, what do you think you want? Something sweet?"

"Vanilla shakey." The four-year-old replies, folding his tiny hands together in his lap, staring up at his mother with those big blue eyes and that powder blue hair and _oh_...

_You really do look like your father,_ she thinks to herself. Hana had Tetsuya when she was sixteen, which she admits was a bit young for having children, but she cherishes her adorable son- planned or no. His father, Masao-kun, really tried to be a part of his life at first, but fatherhood just... didn't suit him. The late nights with the baby, the diaper changes, the  _crying_ \- he just couldn't handle it.

Hana lived with her grandmother since her parents died in a car accident when she was young, and the old woman was kind enough to help her take care of Tetsuya, right up until she died, about two years after he was born. Sadly, Hana's uncles and aunts who inherited her grandmother's belongings, including her house, weren't so keen on helping their high-school-dropout niece or her son, so Hana found herself homeless for awhile.

It was... really bad, to be honest. She went through a steady stream of jobs that she was fired from on pretty much a weekly basis, was stuck floating between crappy motels and her friends' homes, and was so close to giving Tetsuya up for adoption that it hurts her heart to think about it. She didn't want her son to grow up hungry and homeless.

She was right  _there_ \- right outside the orphanage, practically on its doorstep- when she realized she just  _couldn't_.

It was selfish, and she was a terrible person, but she couldn't give away her baby boy. He was her  _everything_. She couldn't leave him in the care of strangers. She couldn't leave him ever.

A week later, Hana took up a job as a seamstress and started selling drawings in a park. She didn't make much, but she got them their last even crappier apartment that was more of a closet than anything with that money and got them up to two meals a day instead of just one. That lasted for about seven months before she switched to the delivery girl thing, dropped the drawings, and upgraded them to a slightly less crappy apartment and three meals a day.

Things are going  _good_.

Hana orders a vanilla shake, two burgers, and a large order of fries- she refuses to let her kid just eat a vanilla shake. It became a habit when she barely had enough to scrape by and vanilla shakes at Maji Burger were pretty cheap, but now that they have money she needs to get some meat on his bones. Hana wants her Tetsuya to grow up big and strong, just like his dad.

A balled up napkin suddenly flies through the air and hits Tetsuya's head before it drops into his lap.  _Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, don't cry, don't cry, please don't cry._ "You okay, baby?"

Thankfully, Tetsuya just nods and picks up the napkin ball and calmly places it on the table.

_Thank the gods, a tantrum is averted._

A little boy with dark hair- is it gray? is it brown? is it orange? Hana can't tell- and gray eyes walks over to their table with a stocky man and a young girl in tow. The man looks... well, jolly. He has a thick black mustache, thinning black hair, and wide gray eyes that sparkle with happiness. The girl on the other hand looks royally pissed off- a demon in the body of a cute girl with short brown hair and brown eyes. "Shigehiro-kun, apologize to the boy  _right now_!" The girl demands. The little boy- Shigehiro, Hana guesses- nods and turns to Tetsuya with a big smile. "Sorry I hit you with my napkin," he says.

Tetsuya stares at the boy for a moment, like he's not sure if he should be upset or not, before nodding slightly. "It's alright. I forgive you."

Then Shigehiro looks at the napkin Tetsuya was fiddling with, which, at some point, he folded into an origami swan. One of Hana's friend had taught him how to do that and he's taking to making little paper swans whenever he gets bored or nervous. "Did you make that?" Tetsuya nods slightly. "So cool! Can you teach me?"

"Oi-" the girl starts, but is cut off when Tetsuya gives a small nod and Shigehiro climbs up into the booth beside him. "C'mon, Riko, don't you want to learn too? You'll teach Riko too, right?" Hana suppresses a laugh at how shy and bewildered her son is- he certainly isn't the most sociable boy on the planet. It's nice to see him interacting with other kids.

"Ah, I'm sorry for my son; Shigehiro is a bit of a troublemaker." The man tells Hana with a lopsided smile.

"It's alright, Tetsuya doesn't seem to mind. They're both yours?" she asks gesturing to the two, who'd both squeezed into the booth with Tetsuya, leaning close to watch him fold another napkin, trying to copy his movements.

"No, Riko is my partner's daughter. She and Shige are really close."

"Oi, baka, not like that!" Riko yells, smacking Shigehiro on the head. "Like this!"

The man chuckles as Shigehiro rubs the back of his head and pouts. "Although they certainly don't act like that. May I?" He gestures to the spot by Hana, and she scoots over, smiling. "You may."

"I'm Ogiwara, by the way. Ogiwara Takumi." The man offers her a kind smile and Hana can't help but like the man. Ogiwara looks like one of those men who's always happy and cheerful- Hana has always liked that type of person. "I'm Kuroko Hana. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Kuroko-san."

Ogiwara, his son, and Riko stay at their table for the rest of the meal. Shigehiro happily chatters on with Tetsuya, asking him random questions and telling him random things, and he seems to really like Hana's quiet son. Tetsuya seems to like him, too, because he offers to let Shigehiro have a sip of his vanilla shake and Tetsuya doesn't even let Hana have any of his shakes. Riko keeps Shigehiro in check whenever he gets a little too hyperactive, and Ogiwara keeps up a steady conversation with Hana.

"You run a circus?" Hana repeats when the man casually mentions his job like being the ringmaster and owner of a small circus is completely normal. "Yep. Riko's father is the one who handles the business side of everything though. I'm a bit hopeless when it comes to that kind of thing." Ogiwara chuckles goodnaturedly. "I mostly handle the training. We have acrobats, clowns, animal trainers- the works."

"That's amazing. I've never been to a circus before." Hana glances over at her son, who is actually  _smiling_ , a genuine smile, something he hasn't done in a while. Tetsuya is a smart kid, so he knows things have been kind of crappy for them, and so he's usually too worried or nervous or scared to be genuinely  _happy_. But talking to this random kid for maybe an hour is enough to make him smile like that. "You and Tetsuya should come to a show then!" Ogiwara suggests enthusiastically, bringing her attention back to their conversation.

Immediately, she opens her mouth to decline because she still needs to be careful with their money and going to a circus sounds  _expensive_ \- Ogiwara waves off her protests like he can guess what she's about to say. "Free of charge, of course. It's not everyday Shigehiro makes a new friend, and I'm sure he'd love to give Tetsuya the Grand Tour. You can come by early and we can introduce you to everyone."

Hana tries to back out of the offer, making excuses about not wanting to impose on them and feeling bad about going for free, but Ogiwara is a surprisingly stubborn man and Hana does like that Tetsuya is getting to talk to another kid for once...

So, eventually, she gives in.

* * *

 "What have we gotten ourselves into, Tetsuya?"

Hana and Tetsuya stare up at the big top tent- a huge, red and white striped monstrosity with flags everywhere- in utter shock.  _This is a little circus? What the hell is a big circus then? Does the size of a circus depend on the tent size? Holy crap- is that an elephant?_ Then a man in a fancy red and gold tailcoat, a gold vest, a red bowtie, and black dress pants strides toward them and-  _oh my god, is that Ogiwara-san?_ He waves cheerfully at them before placing a black tophat on his head and tugging a pair of white gloves on his hands. "Kuroko-san and Tetsuya-kun, it's great to see you two!"

Hana is starting to feel worse and worse about taking the man up on his offer because she's starting to feel like a freeloader, but Ogiwara notices her guilty expression and gives her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry so much, Kuroko-san! We're happy to have you! Shigehiro hasn't stopped talking about your son since he met him- it's driving Riko insane." The man chuckles. Then he crouches down so he's face to face with Tetsuya. "Before I take you to see Shigehiro, would you like to see a quick magic trick, Tetsuya-kun?"

Tetsuya stares at him wide-eyed, clutching Hana's hand tightly, before nodding slowly. That's surprising- Tetsuya has a habit of hiding behind his mother when adults try to talk to him. Ogiwara holds up his hands, "There's nothing in my hands, see?" Tetsuya gives another small nod. "Now, watch this," he reaches behind Tetsuya's ear before pulling his hand back with a coin pinched between his fingers. "Ta-da! Magic!~" And Hana barely keeps herself from laughing, because that magic trick is both adorable and unbelievably dorky at the same time, but Tetsuya is looking at him like he's a god or something.

"Tetsuya!"

A little boy is suddenly running over to them, all dolled up in a long sleeved dress shirt, black pants, a glittery silver vest, and a matching silver tophat. "Hello, Shigehiro-kun." Tetsuya waves- and there's that little smile again, and Hana is regretting coming less and less by the minute. She turns to Ogiwara when the kids race off, and she sends a little prayer to the Powers-That-Be that Tetsuya doesn't get eaten by an elephant or something.

"Shigehiro performs as well?" she inquires, smiling at how the sun glints off his glittery silver vest as he runs away, Tetsuya trailing behind him.

"Yep. He does a little dance number with his mother, Riko, and some of the other girls. The crowds think its just the cutest thing, and he loves the attention." Ogiwara pulls a pocket watch from his coat- an actual freaking  _pocket watch_ \- and checks the time. "Why don't I introduce you to some of the performers? I'm sure they'd love to meet you." Hana doesn't even have a chance to reply before Ogiwara is pulling her along towards the tent, and she decides that coming to the circus probably wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

Tetsuya allows Shigehiro to drag him around the tent to a bunch of RVs and trailers, listening as the boy chatters on about clowns and dancers and trapeze artists. "Me and Riko even get to perform! It's really fun!" They stop in front of a hot pink trailer that's attached to a light blue and white Volkswagen van. "I want you to meet my friend Ryouta- he gets to perform in the show too." Shigehiro knocks on the trailer door a couple times before it swings open.

"Shige-cchi! Is your friend here yet?"

The boy who emerges from the trailer doesn't look any older than Shigehiro or Tetsuya- but Tetsuya can't be sure with the thick layer of makeup on the boy's face. His face is completely white and there's a shiny red ball stuck on his nose. A big, red smile is painted on his face and there are big dark blue triangles right above his eyes and he's wearing mismatched clothes and  _humongous_ red shoes.

"Yeah, he's right here, Ryouta." Shigehiro lifts up the other boy's hand and Ryouta's eyes slowly focus on the blue-haired boy, who, for some weird reason, he didn't notice before. "Oh, yeah, sorry, didn't notice you there! I'm Kise Ryouta!" The boys smiles enthusiastically, making the smile on his face stretch even wider. It's kind of creepy.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. It's a pleasure to meet you." Tetsuya replies, giving a small bow.

"Nice to meet you, too! I'll grab my wig then I'll be right back, so wait for me, okay, Shige-cchi!" The boy races back into the trailer, almost tripping over his huge shoes, and Shigehiro laughs. "Ryouta is kind of clumsy and he's a big crybaby, but he's really nice. You'll like him. His dad, uncle, and grandpa are all clowns, too. His cousin, Masao, is a mime though. I think clowns are a lot cooler than mimes though." Ryouta then charges out of the trailer with a huge rainbow afro and hat covering his blond hair, almost falling again. "We should go get some cotton candy~ Have you ever had cotton candy before, Kuroko?" Ryouta turns to him with big honey-colored eyes that seem to sparkle excitedly like a happy puppy or something. Tetsuya shakes his head, which makes Shigehiro gasp dramatically. "We have to get you some immediately then!"

And so Tetsuya lets the cheerful blond and Shigehiro drag him along with a small, amused smile on his face.

He's really happy his mom let him come to the circus.

* * *

 Hana is more than a little amazed when Ogiwara's wife, Akane, shows her the acrobats practicing. Ogiwara had to leave her with Akane to finish getting everything ready for tonight, and Akane was more than happy to show the lost-looking bluenette around. "They're so high up," Hana breathes.

Women clad in sparkly outfits that reveal quite a  _lot_ are hanging from long, thick ribbons hanging from some rigging, and it looks like they're  _dancing_ in the air. They hang upside down and spin around in the air like it's no big deal and it's one of the most dazzling things Hana has ever seen. "Aren't they afraid?" Hana turns to look at Akane, who was just smiling at the expression of wonder on the other woman's face. "They all were, at first. But they get used to it." Akane replies, twirling a lock of dark orange hair around her finger. Hana glances down at the other woman's outfit, which is almost as revealing as the acrobats'. She's wearing a shimmering silver one piece with opaque silver hose and silver high heels that can  _not_ be comfortable.  _How can you act so confident in such little clothing?_

"You get used to the outfits, too," Akane laughs when she catches Hana staring. "Anyways, it seems like Shige is really taken with your son. It's nice to see him making friends besides Ryouta and Riko."

"Yeah, I'm happy Tetsuya gets to hang out with kids his age for once. It's usually just him and me."

"And his father?"

"Not in the picture."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We're fine just with the two of us."

Akane nods and glances down at her wristwatch, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Say, Hana, how would you like to meet the big cats?"

* * *

Hana and Tetsuya end up at the lion tamer's trailer at the same time- Hana dragged by Akane, Tetsuya dragged by Shigehiro, Riko, and Ryouta. "He's called the lion tamer, but he doesn't just work with lions. He works with all the big cats." Riko explains as Shigehiro knocks on the door. "We have tigers  _and_ lions- and, this one time, we even had a jaguar!" Riko smiles to herself when Tetsuya looks suitably amazed. "Kagami-san is the best lion tamer in the whole wide world. He has a son, but he stays home with his aunt instead of traveling with us."

"Hey there, Ryouta, Aida, Shigehiro!" An enormous man in a dress shirt rolled up to his elbows and a pair of jeans lumbers out of the trailer, patting each of the kids in turn. "Nice to meet you two, you're the Kurokos, right?" The man puts one of his gigantic hands on Tetsuya's head, ruffling his hair surprisingly gently, and offers a hand to Hana. They shake hands and Kagami flashes her a wide small, showcasing all of his blindingly white teeth. He has odd hair- crimson layered on top of black- and eyes of the same red color. He looks terribly intimidating, but Hana supposes a lion tamer probably should- don't predators usually go for weak prey, or something like that?

"I'm Kagami Tadao. I'm sure everyone's already told you I'm the lion tamer, so shall we go see the cats?" He says cats in the same casual way as everyone else- like lions and tigers are about as terrifying as normal house cats.

The big man leads them back into the big top where a couple workers set up a big fence with six platforms in it. Kagami walks straight into the area, dropping a small sack right outside the gate. At Hana's questioning look, Akane tells her that they're treats. "I'm sure lion taming sounds like something barbaric- complete with whips and guns and chairs and such-, but Kagami treats the cats like they're his family. He sleeps with them, feeds them, bathes them; the cats trust him. He doesn't use whips or anything. He keeps that small stick thing-" Akane points at a thin, flimsy-looking stick he's holding, "-to give them directions, but that's it. He's never once been violent with the cats. The treats are to reward them for doing what he asks."

"Wow," Hana murmurs, watching the big man as he casually walks around the fenced in area before locking the gate.  _He must be really brave._ She can't imagine how scary it would be to be around the "big cats" all the time. But, Kagami doesn't look nervous at all. "Kagami-cchi grew up with big cats," Ryouta pipes up, fiddling with his oversized bow tie. "His parents were lion tamers, too."

Hana opens her mouth to respond-  _wow, did he do the same things for the cats when he was a kid_ -, but returns her gaze to Kagami when she hears a loud sound. A long train of big cages was rolled up to the fenced in area and a panel in the fence was opened. A worker walks over to the cage closest to the area and carefully lifts up the cage door and-  _oh my god._

Hana watches wide-eyed as a full grown lion pads out of the cage.

The lion is beautiful, truly. He- well, Hana guesses the lion is a he because don't only male lions have a mane- has a splendid, golden coat that looks silky in a way that makes her want to run a hand down his side and a tawny mane that looks soft to touch. His eyes are big and round and yellow; when he yawns, he reveals a set of sparkling white teeth that are both terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. As he circles around the fenced area, Hana admires how smoothly his muscles glide beneath his fur. His eyes roam around like he's a king surveying his kingdom. So frighteningly beautiful.

"Isn't the lion pretty, Tetsuya?" Hana glances down at where her son stands beside her- er,  _was_ standing beside her. She whips around but Tetsuya is nowhere to be found. "Tetsuya? Tetsuya!"

"Hana!" she looks back to the fence where her son, Tetsuya, is pressed up against the bars with his arms stuck through  _petting a freakin' lion._ Akane grabs her before she can run over to her son because she is  _not_ letting her son get mauled by a lion. "Hana, stay calm, you might startle the lion, and that's the worst thing that could happen right now." But Akane doesn't sound very reassuring.

Up until now, the lion was just watching Tetsuya run his chubby hands down his front legs like he couldn't be bothered to stop the boy. "Tetsuya, stay very still," Kagami says, walking closer to the lion, but the small blue-haired boy doesn't seem to hear- or care. He wriggles closer to the fence and coos "pretty kitty, pretty kitty, pretty kitty" over and over again. The lion finally leans his head down to look the boy in the eye, like he's curious as to why the kid hasn't tried to run yet, and Tetsuya presses his face right up to the fence and  _oh god where did I go wrong as a mother that my son is dumb enough to pet a freaking lion oh my god Tetsuya pleasepleaseplease just back away from the lion oh god pleasepleasplease_. Hana can hardly breathe as the lion leans even closer to the boy, sniffing him curiously.

Tetsuya pulls his arms back out, tiny hands clutching the bars, tilting his head to the side.  _How is he not terrified right now?_ Even Riko and Shigehiro and Ryouta all look pale and terrified- and they've grown up around those animals!

Then the lion looks away and plops down so his side is right up against the fence, allowing Tetsuya to run his hands along his fur, returning to repeating "pretty kitty, such a pretty kitty" again. Finally, Tetsuya looks back at his mother, surprised at her terrified expression. He pats the lion on his side. "Bye, pretty kitty." The boy trudges back over to his mother, the lion swiveling his head around to watch the boy before getting up to do his rounds again.

Kagami immediately gets the cat back in his cage as Hana frantically runs her hands over her son, terrified that her eyes are fooling her and there's some terrible wound on her baby. "What's wrong, mommy?" Tetsuya's face is expressionless like usual, but his blue eyes are full of concern and confusion- _he really doesn't understand why I'm upset?_

"Don't wander off like that again, okay, baby?" she chokes out. She has the urge to shake him and hug him and burst into tears all at once, but she settles on tugging him into a crushing bear hug.

"Looks like you've got a natural born lion tamer there." Kagami muses.

Things are a bit confusing after that.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what you're suggesting?" Hana yells.

Ogiwara winces slightly, but Aida-san, Riko's father, shrugs. "It's just an offer, Kuroko-san. No one's going to force you to do this. But, think about it. Don't you think your son would enjoy it?"

"Just because he wanted to pet one damn  _lion_ does not mean my son wants to spend the rest of his life as a freaking  _lion tamer_!"

"Hana," Akane places a hand on her shoulder, trying to be reassuring, "you don't have to agree to anything yet. We just want you to think about it."

"Why the hell would I let you just take my kid away to be a circus freak?"

And, yeah, Hana admits that last part is a little harsh, but  _come on_. Just because they've been wanting to find someone for Kagami to train to take over for him at some point doesn't mean she's going to willingly give her son away. "We would never take your son away from you, Hana. You'd come with us." Ogiwara chimes in. Hana levels the ringmaster with such a harsh glare that he immediately takes to staring at the floor.

"Just think about it, Hana. I think this would be good for your son- and it doesn't have to be forever. He can be a lion tamer for as long or as short a time as he wants. He'd be home schooled, so his education would be covered, and I'm sure Shigehiro and the other kids would love to have him around. And, Hana, not many people can just reach through a fence and pet a lion and remain completely unharmed. Your son is special."

 Hana wants to yell and scream and possibly punch Aida-san in his smug face, but she tries to  _think_ about it.

Tetsuya has always loved animals- she's lost count of how many times he's begged her for a pet. And animals have always loved him. Something about his quietness seems to be calming, and he's never afraid of getting hurt by an animal, but he's not stupid about it. He'll always let a dog sniff his hand before he pets it, going slowly so the animal is comfortable. Which is why the whole lion fiasco was so surprising- he just walked up and petted the damn animal. Tetsuya seemed pretty enchanted by the lion, too, casting looks back over his shoulder at the big cat as his mom dragged him away, intending to leave before she was dragged into Aida-san's office.

Plus, he  _does_ seem to like the other kids. And having some friends would do him some good. Tetsuya's a smart kid- homeschooling would probably be no problem for him. Hana would get a trailer and a car with their savings, they'd have a real  _home_ , and being trained as a lion tamer doesn't sound like something they'd fire you from for catching a cold...

_Why the hell am I even considering this? This is insane!_

But, it sounded nice after being homeless and jobless for so long. And Tetsuya would probably be thrilled at the prospect. They might even get enough money to buy him books- he loves reading.

He'd be  _happy_.

It's probably that last thought that does Hana in- the thought of being able to make her son happy for once, instead of making him worry, is what makes her sit down and listen calmly to the offer. It's what makes her ask him if he'd like to, it's what makes her smile encouragingly when he says yes.

And, somehow, things turn out well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, MiraGen Carnival doesn't come in until next chapter; sorry...
> 
> Anyways, sorry again for any OOCness, I just suddenly felt the urge to write this and I find the idea of lion tamer Kuroko and clown Kise like insanely adorable I mean ahhhhhhhhh my gosh~
> 
> Comments and criticism are welcome! Please tell me what you think so I can fix things if I screw up horribly~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akashi Seijuuro, heir to the Miragen Carnival, pays a visit to Seirin Circus, which has gained popularity because of a certain blue-haired lion tamer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is supposed to be a couple years after the first chapter with everyone as teenagers~ Shigehiro doubles as ringmaster and a dancer because his dad finally decided he was too old to be running around, if you were wondering why he's suddenly the ring master~
> 
> Sorry if it's kind of short... I just wanted to get the whole Miragen Carnival thing started~
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos! I hope you enjoy this chapter! ヾ(＠^∇^＠)ノ

The lights dim and an expectant hush falls over the audience. The cotton candy, popcorn, and drink vendors even pause in their rounds, eyes turning to the huge oval in the middle of the tent, waiting.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a boy's voice booms from the huge speakers, and a spotlight flicks on, revealing a teenage boy with dark orange hair and gray eyes. A black tophat sits haphazardly on his head, tilting precariously to the side, and he holds a microphone in his white-gloved hands. "Welcome to the Seirin Circus!" The boy pauses as the audience erupts in excited applause, smiling slightly at the crowd.

"Prepare yourselves for a night of magic and mystery- full of dangerous and amazing feats!" The teenage boy walks forward slowly, and there's an appreciative murmur from the girls in the crowd; he's even more attractive than he looked on the website. A smile tugs at his lips as he continues, "Tonight, dear audience, you'll have a front row seat to insane strength, immense bravery, and the most beautiful dancers in the country!" The last part earns a couple excited whoops from the men in the crowd.

"Without further ado," the boy sweeps off his hat and gives the crowd an exaggerated bow, "let's begin!"

 ~*~*~*~

Tetsuya watches as Shigehiro exits the tent, rushing to get changed for the dance number he's in, before turning his attention back to the clowns in the oval. Even after years of being in the circus, every performance still seems magical to him; performer come and go, acts change. Every year it seems like it's a completely new experience.

Kise runs around, joking and smiling and waving, and Tetsuya can hear the lovesick sighs from girls in the audience; even with the thick clown makeup, Kise somehow manages to be one of the most attractive performers. There are some girls who will come every night the circus is in town just to see him.

Kise bends down in front of a little girl in the front row, pulling a flower from inside his jacket and presenting it to her, a big, goofy smile on his face. The girl takes it with wide eyes, practically swooning, before Kise gets bopped on the head by another clown. He falls back dramatically, somersaulting backwards, and everyone giggles when he jumps up, smiling like an idiot.

The clowns continue fooling around: Kise tries to balance on a ball and falls flat on his butt, Koganei tries to do a cartwheel and falls flat on his face, making Mitobe trip and land on him with an "oof", Izuki tries to juggle a few colorful balls, but ends up hitting Hyuuga in the head with one, and Hyuuga chases him around the oval to some chase music someone puts on.

Ten minutes later, the lights start to dim again, and Kise grabs a microphone to introduce the next act.

Tetsuya trots across the oval, going completely unnoticed by the audience. "And now, put your hands together for our amazing lion tamer," Kise starts as Tetsuya drops a small sack of treats by the gate to the fenced in area, locking it behind him. "Kurokocchi!"

A spotlight focuses on Tetsuya. He stands in the middle of the fenced in area, light glittering off his over-the-top costume that he hates, but that Kise says makes him look "so cute I can hardly stand it~". The light blue and gold tail coat is stiff and uncomfortable; the starched white dress shirt and light blue sequin vest are incredibly itchy. The white pants feel uncomfortably tight and the black boots are too clunky and awkward. The gold and light blue bow tie makes him feel like he's choking, and the black and gold top hat makes his scalp sweat. The females in the crowd make an appreciative noise- not as loudly as they had for Shigehiro or Kise, but loud enough to show that they liked the way the bluenette looked in his cute costume.

Tetsuya bows to the crowd before turning to the panel in the fence where Taiyō, the oldest of the lions, slinks into the ring. The crowd gasps as Tetsuya makes a motion with his hand and the lion hops of one of the six platforms and stalks over to the boy.

Tetsuya runs his hands over the lion's silky golden fur, whispering soft, reassuring words to the big cat. Taiyō always gets nervous in front of crowds, and that nervousness has given Tetsuya a couple jagged scars on his arms, so he tries to make the lion as comfortable as he can be during performances. It would be a disaster if he got injured during a performance; the audience would be hysterical.

Tetsuya makes another motion with his hand and Taiyō skulks over to another platform, jumping onto it languidly.

Tetsuya turns back to the panel where Taiyō's mate, Sora, is strutting out. She surveys the crowd with her big, golden eyes, walking around the ring, before taking a seat beside Taiyō. Their cubs, Kumo and Umi, come out next, tussling with each other before taking their own seats. Then comes the Bengal tigress, Shurui. The white tiger cub, Akarui, stumbles out, awkward on his strong limbs. The big cats are in a circle around Tetsuya, and they all watch him, waiting for the first command.

The big cats stand on their hind legs and jump; they jump over and crawl under each other; they jump through a big hoop Tetsuya sets up in the middle of the ring; Taiyō even lets the boy sit on his back as he jumps over the others. Tetsuya gives them treats after every trick, petting their heads and showing them affection. He looks completely at ease with the big cats.

Kumo gets overexcited and pounces on him, making the crowd gasp in horror, but the lion cub just licks at his face before Sora growls at her and she trots back over to her brother. Tetsuya stands up, brushing off his pants, and gives the cub a small, indulgent smile. Kumo and Umi have been around Tetsuya since they were born, so they're used to playing with him like they play with each other, which can get a little rough sometimes, but Tetsuya doesn't mind. The cats would never hurt him; they think of him as part of their pack.

Soon enough, Tetsuya is directing the big cats back into their cages, and Akarui bumps his big head against his hand. Tetsuya pets the tiger gently until Akarui decides he's had enough and he stumbles back into his cage, tail swaying happily.

Tetsuya leaves the ring when the lights dim, unaware of the mismatched eyes watching him.

~*~*~*~

Akashi Seijuuro gazes at the blue-haired lion tamer, a small smirk dancing on his lips; Kuroko Tetsuya was most definitely not a disappointment. The boy brought more attention to the Seirin circus than ever before with his beautiful performance with the big cats. Enough attention to warrant a visit from Akashi, the heir to the most famous carnival in the world, the Teikou Carnival, often called the "Miragen" or "Generation of Miracles" Carnival.

The carnival earned its name because of the performers, nicknamed the "Generation of Miracles" by the press for their amazing abilities.

 "Shintarou," Akashi's green-haired companion, Midorima Shintarou, looks over at him questioningly. "I have made my decision."

~*~*~*~

 "Kurokocchi~" Kise calls, running into the big top to find the bluenette. Tetsuya decided to practice a little with the cats before tonight's show.

"Kurokocchi~ I need to tell you somethin-" the energetic blond comes to a sudden stop when he reaches the fenced-in ring. Kuroko is in the middle of a pile of cats, looking perfectly comfortable with a full grown lion splayed across his lap, while the two lion cubs nip at his sweatshirt. Five pairs of yellow eyes and two pairs of blue focus on Kise, who shifts uncomfortably under the cats' gazes; the cats have been known to grow loudly and angrily at him whenever he comes too close to Kuroko.

"What is it, Kise-kun?" Kuroko inquires. He casually tosses a little cat toy and the lion cubs dash after it, running and falling over each other.

"Oh. Um. Well." Kise tries to avoid the lion's eyes, because the look he's giving Kise is not friendly. At all. "Ogiwara-san called a meeting. Right now."

"Alright. I'll be there in a moment." The boy wriggles slightly, and the lion gives him an annoyed look, but moves off his lap nonetheless. "I'll visit you later, Taiyō." He runs a pale hand over the lion's tawny mane, smiling when the lion lets out something like a purr. The cats stalk back into their cages, Sora carrying Kumo in her mouth while Umi bats at his sister's dangling paws, Shurui herds Akarui in front of her, and Taiyō follows last, giving Kuroko one last look before going in.

"Let's go," Kuroko says once he's locked up the cats and the gate, pocketing his sack of treats.

"Okay, Kurokocchi~" Kise trills, encompassing the smaller boy in a bear hug. A low growl emanates from the cages. Kise drops his arms and takes a few steps away from the other boy, face pale. Kuroko turns his face away to hide his laugh; Taiyō's protectiveness can be quite amusing.

~*~*~*~

The meeting is short and to the point.

"We're going to be merging with Teikou carnival." Aida-san announces, a frown on his face. No one looks very happy about this; a couple even start protesting. "I know, I know," he sighs. "I don't like it either. But, their offer was too good to refuse; all of our performers and laborers are assured a job at the carnival, so don't worry. Anyone who doesn't want to go along with the merge is welcome to leave."

 Kuroko raises his hand, and Aida-san gesture for him to ask whatever it is he needs to ask. "What will happen to the cats? Will they be coming with me?"

"Yep, Tetsuya. You and the cats are a package deal."

The boy nods gratefully; leaving the cats would be like leaving his family. He's not sure he could handle it.

"Any more questions?" The room is silent. "Then that's it. I'll have more details later. Don't let this affect your performances in tonight's show."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Sorry for any OOCness~
> 
> Comments are welcome!


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